Before Heaven
by thelostpirate
Summary: It is a battle of hearts and not a single spell has prepared them for this war. Will they wallow in denial or embrace the new degree of admiration that is blooming in their hearts? Harry/Hermione.
1. Chapter 1

It was a dry summer day at The Burrow. Bill casted a cooling charm for his pregnant wife, Fleur who was seven months pregnant with their third child. She spent the whole night napping in the living hall with cramped legs and swollen face but somehow her beauty overshadowed every other female in the house.

Bill sent his daughters to bed when he found them lying under the dining table after dinner. As usual, it was one of the nights when Mrs. Weasley invited all of his children and closest family friends to The Burrow. Although it was a happy time for the Weasleys to gather around and celebrate each other, the house was packed with countless gingers lurching around recklessly and sleeping bags thrown across staircases.

Hermione couldn't stand the loud chattering and constantly being ran into by one of the Weasley brothers, especially Ron. As much as she loved the Weasleys, she was always an outsider, an outcast. She didn't have ginger hairs to prove otherwise. Her naturally cautious behaviour didn't fit the Weasleys' lively laughs. She wasn't a Weasley even if she denied it.

She stormed out of the door, gasping for air. She gazed at the stars that spread evenly across the sky with utter admiration. Even with the moon in the sky, the summer heat conquered the night with its warmth.

"Running away too?", a hoarse voice broke the silence.

Hermione sighed loudly. She landed her back on the flowerbed beside Harry, shoulders down and hands stiffed. "Just taking a break", she snatched the bottle from her bestfriend and desperately took a few sips.

"What is _this_", she grimaced.

"A gift from Wood".

Hermione couldn't help but to let out a small laugh before she closed her eyes and drank more from the bottle. It tasted like wood and leather. It wasn't tasty nor beautifully strong. It was just plain horrid and bad but Hermione insisted on drinking. "Do you think he feels bad about you and Ginny?".

Harry stared at his palms and then at Hermione. "Wood? Why would he?".

Hermione shrugged before she started to blush under Harry's gaze. "You and Ginny were once together, you know. Everyone had high hopes on you two but now you're hiding from Ginny and she's pregnant with Oliver's-", Harry raised a hand to stop her. "We all had high hopes on you and Ron too".

She felt a familiar aching pain in her heart. The girl nodded. Ron and her were happy together, once. They were inseparable but many things changed and so did the young couple. Ron was a perfect lover, there was nothing wrong with him, she thought. They had it all planned. She would start working for the ministry and Ron an auror. They rented the double storey house in south London and wasted nights talking pointlessly about the future. They decided two children would be perfect ; a girl and a boy. Hermione said their children should be named after their initials. Ron could name the boy and Hermione could name the girl. Ron insisted that their children would inherit his outstanding ginger hair but Hermione disagreed although she secretly thought Ron could be right.

They fought once in awhile but Ron knew her well. It took only a series of kisses and his tender touch to fix everything. He was her remedy until one night when Ron decided that they should seal the deal and make their relationship official. He was ready for a family.

Hermione panicked. She knew it had always been what she wanted, to be with Ron, but she was a woman with high dreams. He was furious with her crazy work hours. He didn't mind the fact that Hermione wasn't always there for him because Ron understood the consequences of dating Hermione Granger but he decided that there was no possible way Hermione could raise their children and work for the ministry at the same time.

The two spent nights talking, kissing and crying. They were angry, aggrieved and in love. Ron broke it off with Hermione on one morning before he flew to Amsterdam for a mission to destroy the remaining devotees of Voldemort. They didn't see nor hear from each other anymore. Hermione guessed that Ron told his family about them so none of the Weasleys dared talk about Ron when she was around. It has been a year now since they met until Hermione ran into Ron and his fiancée this evening.

"Are you crying?", Harry took the bottle from Hermione's lips.

She wiped her tears with the back of her hand, leaving trails of dried tears on her cheeks. "It was a really tasty turkey", she said.

The concern look in Harry's eyes faded. He giggled. "It really was".

Harry took another sip from the bottle. He was now immune to the taste of the drink. "You know, whatever happens, we still have each other".

Hermione nodded and curved a graceful smile. The silence of the night filled the air between them but their hearts were bloomed by one another's presence. Despite the cheerful laughs and genuine loves that contained The Burrow, the people in the house failed to realize Harry's and Hermione's struggles. They fed them with love and endless hugs but none of the Weasleys truly knew what it felt like to lose something as great as a parent's love.


	2. Chapter 2

_Harry lied soundlessly on the cold wooden floor. His pair of green orbs admired the bright flames as the orange and yellow verticals swayed gloriously. He wished to wallow in ignorance, to drown in absolute unconsciousness and forget about the aching pain in his heart. He tried to wonder what it would feel like to be fire, to show off his blazing warmth and care about nothing. He thought about the birds in the sky and the familiar sound of faint chattering in the morning at the Great Hall. He dragged himself back to the day when he first flew a broom. The thrill of being in the air and the flutters on his palm when he held the golden snitch. He flashed all the good memories of his life, of the first time he visited The Burrow, of Mrs. Weasley's lively eyes when she first saw him, of the shy little girl, of Ginny._

_Ron stared at the still body of his friend. He looked at those puffy, dark circles under Harry's eyes and how Harry had his knees brought tight to his chest as if the boy was protecting himself from an inevitable enemy. Even though Ron was no expert, he could tell this day would come. Ginny apparated from Wales that morning. She met Harry at the ministry. The witch who played for Holyhead Harpies decided to end her obviously failing long-distance relationship with him. She thought it was for the best but Harry didn't quite see it in that way._

_Ron heard soft thumping when Hermione suddenly came to sit on his laps uninvited._

_It was quiet for awhile before Ron whispered, "Why do you think Ginny broke it off?"_

_"I don't know", she shrugged._

_The two went on and eyed Harry as if he was going to end their lives if they ever looked away even for a second. "They seemed really perfect", Hermione finally said._

_Ron pulled her closer, afraid she would fall from his laps. "You and Victor Krum seemed perfect for each other too."_

_Hermione nudged Ron's arms softly and the boy winced. She stared at Harry who was lying in the middle of the room. She felt pain too once when Ron was busy fooling around with Lavender Brown and that was enough to tear her whole world apart._

_"It's funny", Hermione whispered._

_"What"._

_"Do you remember when you dated Brown and you were always out at night to meet her? You hurt me pretty badly you know-"_

_"Hermione-"_

_"No, it's okay. I'm over it. I'm just saying that it's funny that I sobbed every night whenever you were gone to see Brown. And not even one time, Harry came to comfort me because he was too busy stalking Ginny on his Marauders' map. I'm not saying I was mad at him but it's funny how the tables have turned and here I am, sitting with you while Harry is the heartbroken one"._

_Ron was quiet. Finally, he started to frown, staring at Hermione with what seemed like guilt. "I'm sorry I didn't-", "-know?" she asked before Ron could finish his sentence._

_Hermione could see concern in his eyes and Harry was no longer her centre of attention. She leaned in, kissed Ron and stood up before the witch left Ron who seemed lost. "I hope you two don't mind indian food! I bought some from the new diner" she yelled from the kitchen._


	3. Chapter 3

Hermione looked down, staring at the arms that are secured around her. She lay curled against Harry, resting a book on his outstretched legs, reading some documents quietly. She closed her eyes, revelling in the feeling of a warm body pressed against her back, Harry's chest gently falling and rising. She wondered what led them here.

Opening them again, she bit her lip and turned her head to gaze at the messy copper strands, subtle caramel highlights reflecting the last rays of the dying sun that streamed through her window, the curtains open for the first time since Ron left. Her fingers itched as her remaining sense of sanity forced herself not to reach out and run her fingers through the man's hair. Sure, she touched his hair before but somehow the thought of doing it now seemed wrong.

Her eyes fell back to the papers in her hands before she felt Harry shift against her slightly. Hermione wasn't breathing. She could feel a hard object pressed against her thigh and she was certain that that wasn't Harry's wallet. The young woman tried to settle herself into another position, huffling frustratedly when all she could feel was Harry's erection against her jeans.

She sat up, turning to look at Harry with her mouth hanging open. "Sorry, I didn't want to keep jostling you. I couldn't get comfortable," she lied. Harry's face fell. Hermione saw his face expression change and rushed to explain herself. "I get really antsy when I'm reading," she lied again. "Well, that's unfortunate because like it when you lay against me. You're soft and warm.." he paused, ".. and I like touching you."

_What?_

"Sorry?" Hermione blurted. Harry's eyes widen, mortified that he'd spoken out loud.

"I just meant that you're -" Harry stared, "- I love you Hermione." Harry was giving her a look that left her with no doubt with what kind of love he meant.

So she froze.

Dipping his head forward, Harry captured the witch's lips with his own, hands hovering over her waist.

He let her go after what felt like eternity. Hermione thought it was over but she almost fainted when they kissed again. This time it was fierce and almost painful. His tongue demanded entrance into Hermione's mouth as he explored it with an unknown enthusiasm. The man's hand was on her waist while the other cupped the back of her neck, and suddenly she was being pushed back into the pillows. Harry broke the kiss.

The needy moan that escaped her throat was critically embarrassing, and Hermione flushed heavily but Harry just smirked at her. The man grabbed the hem of his sweater he was wearing and pulled it up over his head, tossing it to the floor, sweats cascading down tanned skin.

Hermione tried not to stare but she failed miserably.

Hermione raked her eyes down the tanned skin of the man's chest, over the toned stomach and she felt her mouth go dry at the sight of his defined v-line, years of auror training having given Harry enough definition to make the woman dizzy.

Harry smirked, placing a hand on her hip, his erection agonizingly close to Hermione. He leaned down, "I know how much you want this," he whispered, hot breath ghosting over the witch's neck. "But it's a shame that you're about to wake up."

Her eyes shot open. She was in her underground office. Harry was nowhere to be seen, but she was still ridiculously aroused.

Hermione was disappointed for a few moments before she realized exactly what it was she'd been dreaming about.

Closing her eyes, Hermione dropped her head onto the stacks of papers, groaning at her unholy dream.


End file.
